With advancements in prosthetic components, improved suspension solutions have become a pressing need. Elevated vacuum suspension has been around for nearly a decade, and improves proprioception and volume control. The concept is well accepted and has gained many users.
A vacuum in the sense of elevated vacuum solutions refers to creating pressure significantly lower than atmospheric pressure. In prosthetic systems, a vacuum is not applied directly to the skin, but typically between the hard socket and the skin interface. The vacuum system is adapted to stabilize soft tissue volume at the residuum that the liner and hard socket surround and maintain more effective suspension of a prosthetic system.
A significant drawback to known elevated vacuum solutions is they fail to adapt to limb volume change which occurs particularly when a user is walking. Yet another drawback is that in some cases a vacuum formed at the bottom of a tight socket can suck a residual limb into the socket during donning causing various skin and soft tissue problems with the limb.
Accordingly, there is a need for a prosthetic device, system and method that provides an elevated vacuum solution that adapts to a residual limb during normal use. There is also a call to provide an elevated vacuum solution that does not present a danger of sucking a residual limb into the socket during donning. There is a demand for safely applying a vacuum where it is needed, while still stabilizing volume and maintaining vacuum suspension.